Dancing Queen

Went to Redtop Mountain State Park for the weekend and stayed in a hotel there. Trick or treating was provided for the kids on Saturday night. Mia did not get to go as the Dancing Queen or as a green flower. It was too darn late. Aidan was a fireman but made it known over and over that he wasn't a "real" fireman, he was a "pretend" fireman. I'm thinking his concern came when I told him that perhaps they might need his fireman assistance to help put out any real fires that started. I suggested he could direct the fleeing people if the pig roasting pit caught fire. Considering the guardians of the fire pit were earnestly doing their job while cooling off with a few brewskis, he must have thought the odds were good that could happen and wanted to make sure everyone made their own safety plan.

Weekend made me wonder, how did my folks take 4 kids on vacation when I was a kid and, more importantly, why??

We also discovered that Mia likes tapioca pudding. I brought a huge jug to go at the potluck dinner which we missed because we were stuck on the interstate, as is our usual luck. So, Mia and I had tapioca pudding served with the blunt end of several plastic knifes I found. Actually made me miss the Cantonese restaurant with the worm stew. At least they had rice.

To Sleep, Perchance to dream

Yes! Mia is now sleeping in a crib for most of the night. Took her to a get together on Saturday of other adoptive and prospective adoptive families. Mia lit up when she saw the other Chinese faces. Aidan found all the talk about log-in dates and Chinese policy a bit tedious. So, I agreed to go "camping" that night in an one man tent that is 5"3". So, it was my 5'6" self, one large four year old, and "the guys", Aidan's three member stuffed toy retinue (one of which is currently suffering from a broken tail and the others who have separation anxiety if they have to sleep alone) stuffed into a very small place in this tent. I tried to escape twice but was effectively busted by Aidan. Probably one of the stuffed posse ratted me out.

Now wonder she hates hats

Now I understand the battle to not wear a sun hat as she probably saw this picture. I was coming down the stairs and Aidan was showing her his two hats and how to wear them. First the propeller hat on Mia with his Irish leprechaun hat on himself. And then the switch-er-roo. He was so gentle and it was touching.

Sleepy time

Sleep time is unpleasant in our home. Mia does not chose to sleep. Rather, she chooses to resist to the best of her ability. This has made for hours of screaming, crying, rolling around and so on. I finally decided that what we were doing is obviously not working so no more. So, she went into her crib last night (with one side down so she doesn't feel like she is being caged again). She also was put in the crib by the "good parent" vs. being upt in by me. She didn't like it but fell into a light sleep after 30 minutes, a record in the house. But, she wasn't in a deep sleep and I needed to go into the room again (the last time had resulted in some pretty energetic screaming) So, I sneaked in as quiet as I could. I had almost completed my mission when she woke up. I did the logical thing and dove for cover into the space between her crib and the wall. Conveniently, we have a blanket hung over her crib there and she couldn't see me. But, I was stuck in a crouch in a space that is approximately 1/4 inch wider than my butt was ten years ago. Mia rolled around and took stock of her surroundings. I completed the appropriate reconnaissance and peeked out at her in a stealth fashion every couple of minutes when I though the coast was clear to see if Mia was still pondering life in the crib. After who knows how long, I thought I would probably never be able to unfold myself and decided to do the logical thing. I plastered myself to the floor and did my best commando crawl around the crib and then around the bed. I poked my head up in my best gopher fashion and saw she was sleeping. Yeehaa! I killed the lights and waited for dawn. Fortuantely, Mia decided to do the same.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a flying exer-saucer

Had no idea that a child could get lift under their exer-saucer. Don't think the manufacturers actually meant to build that functionality in as launching one's self down a staircase isn't good for one's health. Mia has figured out how to jump hard enough to make the exer-saucer with her in it a hovercraft. Sailed across the kitchen yesterday faster than she could crawl. Couldn't even get the camera out fast enough. Really, just for fun, I should email their product development department to suggest it so that some poor fool has to send me a letter back telling me how much they value me buying their product, etc. etc. etc. and how much they appreciate customer's input, etc. etc. etc. and how they will NOT be remarketing their product as the Pepper Projectile Exer-Saucer but that they still consider their customers the most important part of their business. And then, little stickers will appear on their product with explicit statements not to use their product that way. Probably would read, "Caution, should not be used as a hovercraft or a mode of stairway transportation, even on a closed course." One nut suggests it and there you go. Little stickers show up.

She's just cute!

Not current but she is just so cute! This morning, she actually showed some distress when I left for work. This was a first and I think we are finally bonding!! Yeah!!

Parenting after 40

One of the benefits of parenting over 40 became painfully evident to me last night. That loose, hanging chicken neck skin under my chin is apparently the perfect tool for Mia to grab to pull herself up. Yikes. Feels like something that should be photgraphed for Ripley's Believe It or Not.

Gotcha plus one month

It has been one month since we got Mia and it seems like we have had her forever. It hasn't all been happiness and light for us. I can only imagine how horrifying it has been for her. Pretty much like the stories of getting abducted by aliens and having medical tests run on you. Last week I had to take her in for eye tests. They weren't pleasant but her eyes are doing fine. She has a loss of vision from not having the right nutrition but no surgery is needed. Apparently, the eyes need some fats to develop properly which weren't a large part of her diet. They don't want to fit her for glasses for one year as doing so would stop the brain's natural drive to improve. I'm relieved. There are some fights you just don't pick and I've learned with her it is whether of not she will wear a hat. I can only imagine glasses.

"Look at this nice hat Mia" Mia pulls off and throws on ground. I retrieve. "It's a really nice hat Mia". Mia pulls off and throws on ground. I retrieve. "You need this hat for sun protection Mia." Mia removes hat by turning herself like a corkscrew and attempts to throw herself on the ground. "I can't let you just sit out in the sun Mia" while putting hat back on Mia. Mia folds herself in two, begins whining and lets out a shriek. Hat goes flying on the ground. We then continue to sit out in the sun sans hats to watch Aidan's soccer game while getting disapproving looks from the other parents.

Confirmed - Sweet & Sour pork rinds

When we went to visit Mia's orphanage, the nannies and director went to lunch with us. Lunch in Cantonese restaurants is really an adventure as you have to be very careful about what you select. We had one across the street from the hotel. The only way I could eat there was to walk in with my face away from the aquariums in the front that had the live things that they would pick out, kill and then cook. What I came to realize very quickly was that if it ever walked, breathed, crawled or slithered and wasn't human or was a piece of any of the aforementioned, it is Cantonese cuisine. They had "sand worms". They had beetles, some type of maggot looking thing and the meanest lobster you ever saw. They had ostrich kidney. Oddly, the rest of the ostrich was never on the menu. Guess they export that. They had chicken feet and in this finer restaurant, boneless chicken feet. They had duck comb. But, the worst was some caterpillar tomato worm looking thing that showed up everywhere as a delicacy, cooked whole and served in a rice dish or in a very expensive soup with shark fin which is a gelatinous substance that is highly prized. Looks just awful. Almost like spilled and then dried hair gel. Um mm. Vegetarian wasn't a term they were used to. I'm thinking they probably still use those caterpillars as seasoning in the green bean dish that was actually quite good and widely available.

So, when we went to lunch in YangJiang, I had the fried steamed buns which had two benefits. First, they are fried dough. How can that be wrong? Second, I could stab the little suckers on a chopstick and get it to my mouth without wearing it. I also had some of the pork dish. Turns out it was sweet & sour pork rinds. Pig skin in sauce. Mmmm. At least it wasn't the fancy plate of sliced pig ears. Don't know how they were spiced but am guessing it doesn't matter.